2022 Volume 13 Issue 1 Pages 57-64
Introduction: Osteoporotic vertebral fracture (OVF) is one of the most common fractures among the elderly, and its impact on the cost of care is a concern. Balloon kyphoplasty (BKP) is a widely used treatment for OVF. The purpose of this study is to estimate the cost of conservative treatment and BKP, including the cost of nursing care and the loss of productivity of caregivers, based on previous reports.
Methods: For the distribution of activities of daily living (ADLs) after OVF, we used data from our multicenter prospective study that evaluated BKP and conservative treatment for 6 months in patients aged ≥65 years within 2 months of the onset. Estimates of nursing care costs and informal care costs were estimated mainly based on data published by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
Results: To compare nursing care costs, we summed up the distribution of ADLs, the level of nursing care required, and the level of independence in daily living at the end of 6 months of treatment. The per capita nursing care costs by level of nursing care required at the end of 6 months were 39,497 yen/month in the BKP group and 58,298 yen/month in the conservative therapy group with a difference of 18,801 yen/month. The per capita informal care costs by level of care required at the end of 6 months of treatment were 35,722 yen/month in the BKP group and 44,102 yen/month in the conservative therapy group, with a difference of 8,380 yen/month.
Conclusions: For patients with OVF, improvement of ADL via BKP may reduce the cost of care and caregiver productivity loss.
